Swiftaford Farmhouse

Swiftaford Farmhouse, now a house, likely dates to the early to mid-17th century, with additions from the 18th and 19th centuries and 20th-century alterations. The farmhouse is constructed of rendered stone rubble with a scantle slate and slate roof, partially covered with a slurry. Some original handmade crested ridge tiles remain, along with gable ends. Two axial stacks are visible, one rendered with a shaped top, one to the right gable, and one to the left, with a brick shaft. A further stack is present on the gable end of a later addition.

The original layout consisted of two rooms, with the right-hand room heated by a gable end stack. A cross passage, possibly originally a through passage, connects the rooms. To the left of the passage is a hall, heated by an axial stack and featuring a rear stair tower. The left gable end stack appears to be a later addition, potentially heating a chamber above the hall. In the later 17th century, a gabled bay was added to the front of the hall. A single-story outshut was added to the rear of the passage and the lower end room, originally for use as a dairy and featuring a slate floor and slate shelves.

Around the 18th century, a two-story stable was added to the lower right end, and a two-story stable/outhouse was built to the higher left end in the 19th century. The front of the house is asymmetrical with four windows, all replacements with 2-light casements. The right-hand lower end has a glazed panel door with a slate hood, a casement with a granite lintel at ground floor, and two casements above. To the left, two casements are present on both the ground and first floors. The gabled bay has a casement at ground and first floors, with slate hanging at its apex. Attached to the right is the stable, built of rubble with two doors and a ground-floor window, and a loading door to the loft above. The left stable has a door, a 20th-century window, and a porch, and is now incorporated into the main house. An attached, small 19th-century stone rubble addition with a hipped roof features a door and a single-light window with a brick dressing.

At the rear, a 20th-century window is visible on the left stable. The rear of the hall has a two-story gabled stair tower with a 19th-century 2-light casement with L hinges. The rear of the lower end has a single-story outshut including a 20th-century window. The rear of the left stable has a 19th-century single-story addition with two doors and a window. Inside the passage, an 18th-century 2-panelled door leads to the dairy. The lower end room to the right retains a ceiling and a rebuilt fireplace with a granite lintel and an oven to the rear. The hall features chamfered and stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops, a keeping hole in the hall bay, and a 17th-century bench with shaped support brackets. The stair tower has a winder stair, and the first floor has boxed beams.